Why was the Dawes Act important LO to

Why was the Dawes Act important? LO: to explain the importance of the Dawes Act to the destruction of the Plains Indians

Aims of the Dawes Act of 1887 Encourage Indians to become farmers and Christians Encourage Indians to assimilate and become white citizens Reduce the cost to the government of running the reservations Break up the power of the chiefs Encourage individualism by breaking up tribes and reservations Free up more land for white settlers

The Dawes Act was like a Homestead Act for Plains Indians 80 acre plots of land given to single Indians, 40 acres to orphans under 18 Each family was given a 160 acre plot of land The 1887 Dawes Act Left over reservation land could be sold to white settlers If they accepted this offer they could leave the reservation and become an American citizen

Why was the Dawes Act important? It led to. . Starvation Often the land was poor quality and could not be farmed so families starved. Indians were not farmers so even if land was adequate, it was difficult for them to adjust Native American culture As land was sold to individuals, tribal communities were broken up and native American culture destroyed. Individualism was encouraged, instead of tribal identity Manifest Destiny By 1890, Indians had lost almost half the lands they had in 1887 to whites. Many Indians who took up the allotments sold their land as soon as they could and ended up landless. Many Indians were also cheated into selling land to speculators. Closure of the Indian frontier As Indian reservations had been broken up and there was no more ‘Indian lands’, in 1890 the US government declared that there was no longer a frontier line between white settlement and Indian lands. The USA had complete control of the West

Dawes Act – Knowledge Test 1. What year was the Dawes Act passed? 2. How many acres were offered to each family? 3. What could an Indian do if they accepted the offer of land? 4. What happened to the leftover land from Indian reservations? 5. Between 1887 -1890 how much was land reserved for Indians reduced by? 6. Why did many Plains Indians struggle with the land they were given? 7. What was the name for the land grabs from freed up land in Oklahoma? 8. When was the ‘Permanent Indian Frontier’ officially closed?

The American West: Question 3 - 8 marks Consequence/significance Explain the importance of the Dawes Act of 1887 in the destruction of the Indians Target: consequence/significance [AO 2]; Knowledge and understanding [AO 1] Level 1 1 -2 • • Level 2 3 -5 • • • Some explanation, showing an attempt to analyse importance. Some reasoning but may lack coherence and organisation [AO 2] Accurate and relevant information is added [AO 1] Level 3 6 -8 • • • Explanation is given showing analysis of importance Logically structured and clear line of reasoning [AO 2] Accurate and relevant information is included [AO 1] A simple or generalised answer, limited organisation and development of the material[AO 2] Limited knowledge or understanding [AO 1] If no AO 2 no more than top of L 1 even if strong knowledge

Left over reservation land could be sold to white settlers. Many Indians sold their land soon after The Dawes Act was like a Homestead Act for Plains Indians Each family was given a 160 acre plot of land The 1887 Dawes Act This led to … Closure of the Indian Frontier. As Indian reservations had been broken up and there was no more ‘Indian lands’, in 1890 the US government declared that there was no longer a frontier line between white settlement and Indian lands. Indians lost any remaining claim to USA land

Explain the importance of the Dawes Act of 1887 in the destruction of the Indians The Dawes Act of 1887 was important in the destruction of the Plains Indians as … For example … Also, This meant … As a result ….